Leisure Collection

The Leisure Collection is comprised of over 10,000 artefacts that explore the leisure and recreational activities that people have pursued in Victoria since European settlement.

The Leisure Collection is focused on activities which people pursue in their free time, and emphasises popular, amateur and everyday leisure activities, rather than elite, professional activities. The Collection represents the following aspects of leisure:

Participation in and spectatorship of a range of sports and physical pursuits including football, trugo, boxing, cycling, cricket, horse-racing, swimming and lawn bowls.

Involvement in a myriad of hobbies and pastimes as diverse as practicing photography; playing and listening to music; dancing; eating and drinking; playing with toys, board games and puzzles; playing computer games; collecting; watching films, television, puppet shows and theatre; looking at optical toys; sewing; gardening; shopping; picnicking; camping; fishing; hunting; boating; motoring; and travelling.

Artefacts in the Leisure Collection include about 2,000 documents, over 6,000 images, almost 1,000 audio-visual recordings and over 4,000 objects. The objects range from small personal items such as swimming costumes, board games, fishing rods, jigsaw puzzles, cameras and show bags, to large objects such as cars and a caravan.

Significant items include:

56 toys made from Max Mint wrappers by a woman for her grandchildren, 1929-35.

The iconic Harry Johns Boxing Truck, from the travelling boxing show which roamed eastern Australia, 1950-75.